TallyGenicom 3860 User manual

3860/3880
Quick Reference Guide
GEK-01056

3860/3880
Quick Reference Guide
GEK-01056

GEK-010542
Table of Contents
REGULATORY AND CONFORMANCE DESCRIPTIONS.........................................................3
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................7
SETTING UP THE PRINTER...................................................................................................8
SELECTING A GOOD LOCATION................................................................................................8
UNPACKING THE PRINTER.......................................................................................................8
PRINTER COMPONENTS..........................................................................................................9
INSTALLING THE FRONT TRACTOR..........................................................................................10
POWERING ON THE PRINTER ............................................................................................12
POWER CORDS...................................................................................................................12
PLUG IT IN AND TURN IT ON..................................................................................................12
CONTROL PANEL KEY DESCRIPTION................................................................................13
SELECTING THE DISPLAY LANGUAGE......................................................................................15
TESTING THE PRINTER ......................................................................................................16
INSTALLING THE RIBBON.......................................................................................................16
LOADING PAPER/FORM........................................................................................................19
HOW TO LOAD A FORM..........................................................................................................22
PRINTING A TEST PATTERN..................................................................................................24
PRINT HEAD GAP ADJUSTMENT.............................................................................................26
ADJUST TOP-OF-FORM........................................................................................................26
PAPER HANDLING..............................................................................................................27
PAPER HANDLING CONFIGURATION........................................................................................27
ADJUST PAPER TENSION IN REAR PAPER PATH.......................................................................28
TIPS FOR CONTINUOUS FORMS .............................................................................................29
CONNECTING THE PRINTER TO A HOST SYSTEM.............................................................30
ATTACH TO A DATA SOURCE.................................................................................................30
QUICK STATUS ...................................................................................................................31
MAINTENANCE...................................................................................................................32
REMOVING THE PRINTER RIBBON...........................................................................................32
ROUTINE CLEANING.............................................................................................................33
ERROR HANDLING AND TROUBLESHOOTING ..................................................................36
PROBLEM CAUSE AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS...........................................................................36
MENU MAP..........................................................................................................................39
LCD MESSAGE FORMATS..................................................................................................40

3860/80 Quick Reference Guide 3
Regulatory and conformance descriptions
FCC Compliance Statement
This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if
not installed and used properly, i.e. in strict accordance with the
instructions, may cause interference to radio or television reception.
It has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
computing device pursuant to Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC Rules,
which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such
interference when operated in a residential installation.
Instructions to User
If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off
and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by
one or more of the following measures:
•Reorient the receiving antenna.
•Relocate the equipment with respect to the receiver.
•Move the equipment away from the receiver.
•Plug the equipment into a different outlet so that equipment and
receiver are on different branch circuits.
•Ensure that cover mounting screws, attachment connector
screws, and ground wires are tightly secured.
•Ensure that the data cable shield is properly grounded at the
printer and data source connectors. If necessary, consult your
dealer service representative for additional suggestions.
The manufacturer is not responsible for any radio or TV interference
caused by unauthorized modifications to this equipment. It is the
responsibility of the user to correct such interferences.
The user may find the following booklet prepared by the Federal
Communications Commission helpful: How to Identify and Resolve
Radio-TV Interference Problems.
The above booklet is available from the US. Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC 20402, Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.

GEK-010544
SICHERHEITS – ANLEITUNG
Modelle GENICOM 3860/80 DA
Das Gerät entspricht der Schutzklasse I und muß immer an eine 3-
adrige, geerdete Steckdose angeschlossen werden. Der Netzan-
schluß befindet sich an der Druckerrückwand. Stellen Sie sicher,
daß die Netzspannung mit den Angaben auf dem Typenschild
übereinstimmt.
Einschalten des Druckers:
- Alle Abdeckungen müssen geschlossen sein
- Kaine Gegenstände auf dem Drucker ablegen oder gegen das
Gerät lehnen
- Schalten Sie am Netzschalter den Drucker ein (1). Die “Power-
Anzeige” leuchtet auf und zeigt damit an, daß der Drucker
eingeschaltet ist.
Abschalten:
- Um den Drucker abzuschalten, Schalten Sie am Netzschalter den
Drucker aus (0).
A C H T U N G
Arbeiten und Reparaturen am geöffneten Gerät dürfen nur vom
autorisierten GENICOM – Kundendienst vorgenommen werden.
Bescheinigung des Herstellers/Importeurs
Heirmit wird bescheinigt, daß der / die
3860/80 DA (Gerät, Typ. Bezeichnung)
In Übereinstimmung mit Bestimmungen der
vfg 1046/1984 (Amtsblattverfügung)
funkentstört ist/ sind.
Der Deutschen Bundespost wurde das Inverkehrbringen dieses
Gerätes angezeigt und die
Berechtigung zur Überprüfung der Serie auf Einhaltung der
Bestimmungen eingeräumt.
GENICOM GmbH, Auf der Krautweide 32
65812 Bad Sodenl Taunus
Tel. [phone] Fax [phone]
Name des Herstellers / Importeurs

3860/80 Quick Reference Guide 5
Statement of Compliance
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio
noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio
Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of
Communications.
Le presént apparail numérique n’ émet pas de bruits radioéletriques
dépassant les limits applicables aux apparails numériques de la
classe B prescrites dans le Réglement aur le brouillage
radioélectrique edicteé par le ministère des Communications du
Canada.
External Devices
Connecting any external device to this printer may affect its
electrostatic discharge (ESD) performance, or its radio frequency
interference (RFI) performance, or both.
Trademark Acknowledgments
All trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their
respective holders.
CENTRONICS of GENICOM, LLC
Epson of Epson America, Incorporated
DEC of COMPAQ Corporation
GENICOM of GENICOM LLC
IBM and Proprinter of International Business Machines Corporation
Patent Information
The design of this equipment is protected by one or more of the
following US. patents and their international equivalents: 4,761,
087; 4,743, 133; 5,066, 153; 4,630, 948; 4,468, 140; 4,213, 714;
4,213, 716; 4,368, 993; 4,627, 344; D-294, 038; 4,988, 224; 4,806,
036; 4,479, 598; 4,706561; 4,162, 131; 4,333, 398; 4,568, 209; D-
272, 741; D-295, 186; 5,037, 222, 4,482, 148; 5,051, 010; 4,487,
515; 5,074, 837; 4,210, 404; 4,322, 172; 4,632,582; D-282; D-282,
173; D-315, 169. Other patents may be pending.

GEK-010546
Code Compliance
Codes and standards the printer conforms to are listed below:
•UL Standard 1950, 3rd Edition
•C-UL C22.2 No. 220
•GS Sign (Safety), international model only)
•FCC Rules, Part 15, Subpart B
•ANSI X3.4-1977 (code set)
•ANSI X3.41-1974 (code extension)
•ANSI X3.64-1979 (additional codes)
•EIA 232C / CCITT V.24 (personality board dependent)
•IEC 950 (EN60950 / 9.88)
•ISO DP 7779-3 / 9 / 82 and ANSI 12.10-1985 (acoustics)
•EN 50082-1 European Immunity
•EN 55022 CISPR-B Radio Frequency Interference
•International units comply with CE Marking directives
Interface Connectors
CAUTION
Interface connectors may exceed class 2 or LPS limits.
Appropriate interconnecting cabling in accordance with the
NEC shall be used during installation.

3860/80 Quick Reference Guide 7
Introduction
This Quick Reference Guide covers the 3860 and 3880 model printers.
They are heavy duty, serial dot matrix printers with single or dual paper
paths and manual or auto print head gap adjustment.
Among some of the advanced features of the printers are:
•automatic or semiautomatic print head gap adjustment on dual path
printers
•remote or local selection of emulations
•remote or local selection of paper paths
•automatic loading of a second paper path when the first path is
empty
•the ability to store, for subsequent recall, four user-defined sets of
parameters called formats
Other characteristics include:
•universal input voltage
•power dissipation: 130 watts maximum
•standard hardware interfaces: menu selectable IEEE1284 parallel
and RS-232 serial
•standard emulations: menu- or host-selectable ANSI X3.64, IBMGP,
IBM Proprinter XL, DEC LA-210, Epson FX286e, and GENICOM
3410.
•standard fonts: menu- or host-selectable Gothic, Gothic Italic, Micro
Gothic, Wide Gothic, Courier, Courier Italic, OCR-A, and OCR-B.
•ANSI Oversized: rotatable, expandable to 18700 points in 10-point
increments.
•ANSI bar codes: Twenty-three styles, rotatable and scaleable.
Reference usage:
•Warning: Warnings are used to alert a user of a hazard that could
cause personal injury or severe damage to the equipment.
•Caution: Cautions are used where there is a risk of damaging the
equipment, parts or supplies.
•Note: Indicates that additional information is available.
NOTE
Complete specifications and references may be found in the
3860/80 User’s Manual.

GEK-010548
Setting Up the Printer
Selecting a Good Location
Choose a printer location that is:
level and solid
Print head speeds are very high. If the printer table is not extremely
stable, the printer may cause the printer table to rock.
away from direct sunlight, away from heaters and heating vents
Ribbon inks dry out in the sun. High temperatures degrade plastic and
stress electrical components
away from excessive dust or moisture
Dust shortens print head and gear train life. Very high humidity causes
paper handling problems.
within 6 feet (1.8 meters) of a grounded AC outlet
The length of the power cord is approximately 6.5 feet (2 meters).
suitable for using the bottom paper path
The printer stand must have a slot through which to feed paper. A
suitable pedestal is available from GENICOM. The bottom paper path is
the best choice for labels, bar code labels, multi-part forms, card stock
and other hard-to-feed stock.
Unpacking the Printer
Packaged with the printer is an Unpacking/Re-packing Instruction Sheet,
this Quick Reference Guide, a Compact Disk containing the User’s
Manual and the Programmer’s Manual, a power cord, a ribbon cartridge,
two paper guides, and a tractor assembly.
Follow the information on the Unpacking Instruction Sheet.

3860/80 Quick Reference Guide 9
Printer Components
TOP
DOOR
OPERATOR
KEYS
DISPLAY
(LCD)
REAR
DOOR
CONTROL
PANEL
FRONT
DOOR
FRONT VIEW
SERIAL
CONNECTOR
PARALLEL
CONNECTOR
POWER CORD
CONNECTOR
POWER
ON/OFF
SWITCH
PRINTER
COVER
REAR
DOOR
TOP
DOOR
REAR VIEW

GEK-0105410
Installing the Front Tractor
The Front or Bottom tractor is shipped uninstalled. Dual path machines
have the rear tractor already installed.
At the front of the printer, pull the front
cover open and slide it into the storage
position.
Hook the notch on each side of the
tractor set over the mounting rod in the
front of the printer.
NOTE:
Install the paper motion detector wire into the connector on the right
side frame.
MOUNTING
ROD
PAPER
MOTION
DETECTION
WIRE
CONNECTOR
GEAR COVER (ENGAGED WITH MOUNTING PIN)
MOUNTING PIN (BOTTOM FEED POSITION)
MOUNTING PIN (FRONT FEED POSITION)

3860/80 Quick Reference Guide 11
Press the tractor set down
and into the printer until it
snaps into place in the front
feed position, or push it
farther into the printer until it
snaps into the bottom feed
position.
The tractor is snapped in place when the hole in the gear cover on the
tractor set engages one of the mounting pins in the printer.
Tractor Position for Front and Bottom Feed
TRACTOR
POSITION
FOR BOTTOM
FEED
TRACTOR
POSITION
FOR FRONT
FEED

GEK-0105412
Powering on the Printer
Power Cords Do not use two-wire extension cords or adapters that allow connection to
ungrounded outlets.
A 6.5-foot power cord is shipped with the printer. The power cord
included with printers sold for 115V installations in the U.S. and Canada
is ready to use. International model printers are shipped with a power
cord for the destination country.
For units to be operated at 115V, use a UL Listed/CSA Certified three-
conductor cord set, #18 AWG minimum, Type SVT or SJT. The
maximum length is 15 feet. There must be a NEMA 5-15P (parallel
blade, grounding type) plug on one end and a CEE 22/5 socket on the
other end. The cord set should be rated 10A, 250V and have a
grounding plug with safety approvals appropriate for the country in which
the equipment will be installed.
For units to be operated at 230V inside U.S. and Canada, use a UL
Listed/CSA Certified three-conductor cord set, #18 AWG minimum, Type
SVT or SJT. The maximum length is 15 feet. There must be a NEMA 6-
15P (tandem blade, grounding type) plug on one end and a CEE 22/5
socket on the other end. The cord set should be rated 10A, 250V and
have a grounding plug with safety approvals appropriate for the country
in which the equipment will be installed.
For units to be operated at 230V outside the U.S. and Canada, use a
three-conductor cord set, EUR-H05VV-FG31,0 minimum, with a CEE
22/5 socket on one end. The cord set should be rated 10A, 250V and
have a grounding plug with safety approvals appropriate for the country
in which the equipment will be installed. The cord set should be marked
HAR.
Plug It In and Turn It On
Plug in the power cord.
Make sure the power switch is off. The power switch is on the back of
the printer. Press the switch down to be sure it is off. Plug the female
end of the cord to the power receptacle on the back of the printer under
the power switch. Plug the male end into an AC outlet.
Turn on the power switch.
All four lights on the control panel come on for a few seconds. The print
head moves to its home position at the left side of the printer. All lights
go out. The fault light flashes on and off.
The LCD should say Fault: Paper Out
The liquid crystal display on the front panel shows this message until
paper is loaded.
If the printer did not power on.
Check the AC outlet with another appliance.

3860/80 Quick Reference Guide 13
If the printer beeps ...
If the printer emits a series of short beeps, something is wrong. Note the
number of beeps and call for service.
CONTROL PANEL KEY DESCRIPTION
Park / Path
1
Press once to retract paper from the active print path if a form is loaded.
NOTE: If two or more pages are past the exit rollers, pressing
Park/Path will jam the paper. Be sure to remove extra pages or forms
before pressing Park/Path. The paper remains in the tractors. If no form
is loaded, press this key repeatedly to step through the paper path
selections. Functions as the “1” key in menu entry mode.
Font
2
Press once to display the current font. Press repeatedly to step through
the available font selections in the current “Print Quality”. Wait three
seconds and the displayed selection becomes the current selection.
See the LCD Menu Map for a list of fonts. Functions as the “2” key in
menu entry mode.
Print Quality
3
Switches between Letter Quality (LQ) and Data Processing (DP)
resolutions. Press once to display the current print quality. Press again
to change the print quality. Wait three seconds and the displayed
selection becomes the current selection. LQ produces better quality
characters, and DP prints faster. Functions as the “3” key in menu entry
mode.
CPI
4
Press once to display the current characters per inch setting. Press
repeatedly to step through available CPI settings. Wait three seconds
and the displayed selection becomes the current selection. Some
emulations support continuously adjustable character spacing. If the
host transmitted a CPI setting that is not on the standard CPI list, for
example, 11 CPI, then the LCD shows LS after the number. LS stands
for Line Select. Functions as the “4” key in menu entry mode.
Power ON/OFF Switch

GEK-0105414
LPI
5
Press once to display the current lines per inch setting. Press
repeatedly to step through available LPI settings. Wait three seconds
and the displayed selection becomes the current selection. All
emulations support continuously adjustable line spacing. If the host
transmitted an LPI setting that is not on the standard LPI list, for
example, 7 LPI, then the LCD shows LS (for “Line Select”) after the
number. Functions as the “5” key in menu entry mode.
FF / Load
6
FF (Form Feed)/Load prints any data remaining in the input buffer and
advances paper according to the current form length. When paper is
parked, FF/Load loads the form. Functions as the “6” key in menu entry
mode.
LF
7
LF (Line Feed) prints any data remaining in the buffer and advances
paper one line according to the current lines-per-inch setting. Use the
line feed key carefully; if it is used to position a form in the printer, or to
view a line under the print head, this affects the registration of the
current, and possibly subsequent, pages. To see data under the print
head, use the TEAR OFF key. Functions as the “7” key in menu entry
mode.
8
Press and release to advance paper 1/72 inch per click. Hold it down
continuously to advance paper faster. Functions as the “9” key in menu
entry mode.
9
Press and release to retract paper 1/72 inch per click. Hold it down
continuously to advance paper faster. Functions as the “9” key in menu
entry mode.
Tear Off
0
Advances a form to the Tear Off position to tear off or view. Press
again to retract paper. Paper will automatically retract after 15 seconds
or, if data is received, the paper will be retracted and printing will begin.
Remove a partially printed form by pressing FF first, and then TEAR
OFF. Functions as the “0” key in menu entry mode.
Clear
First
Press this key to clear a fault. Functions as the “First” key in the menu
mode. In the menu mode press this key to return to the beginning of
the menu.
On Line
Former
The ON LINE key toggles between Offline and Online as long as there
is no printer fault and the printer is not in menu mode. When the printer
is online, it can print received data. When it is offline, printer settings
can be changed, and test patterns and status reports can be printed.
Functions as the “Former” key in the menu mode.

3860/80 Quick Reference Guide 15
Format
.
Selects a format. Read about Formats in the User’s Manual before
pressing this key. This can inadvertently overwrite current parameters
such as margins, font, LPI, CPI, tabs, form length, and so forth.
Functions as the “decimal point” in menu entry mode.
Menu
Enter
When Online, steps the LCD through current settings for font, CPI, LPI,
path, interface, and emulation. When Offline, enters the LCD menu.
Functions as the “Enter” key in the menu mode.
Selecting the Display Language
The ON LINE light must be
out If not, press the ON LINE key.
Menu
Enter
Press the MENU key to enter the LCD Menu.
9
Press and release the DOWN ARROW key until the LCD says PROG:
Msg Lang.
Menu
Enter
Press ENTER. This means, “Yes, this is the desired function.”
9
Press and release the DOWN ARROW key until the desired display
language is accessed. The list is circular; keep pressing the arrow key
to cycle through the list.
When the desired language
is displayed ...
Menu
Enter Press ENTER to make that selection. The selection will flash three
times to show that it was saved.
Clear
First Press FIRST to go back to the top of the LCD menu.
Menu
Enter Press ENTER to confirm existing the LCD menu.

GEK-0105416
Testing the Printer
Installing the Ribbon
The print head has to be backed away from the striker bar to provide
clearance to slide the ribbon guide onto the print head nozzle. Printers
with dual path paper paths (Front/Bottom and Rear) are equipped with
an auto print gap mechanism. Printers with a single paper path are
shipped with the semi-automatic (manual) gap adjust enabled as the
default setting.
If you have not already done so, apply power to the printer. The print
head will move to the left hand Home position. After initialization, make
sure the printer is Offline.
Remove the top door.
The print head will move to the center of the printer.
On dual paper path printers, removing the top door centers the print
head and opens the print gap to maximum.
Removing the top door on printers with single paper path (no auto gap
feature) will center the print head, but you will need to open the print gap
manually. The manual adjust is located inside the printer on the right
hand side. The adjustment is labeled 1 through 6 and Ribbon Change.
Move the lever to the Ribbon Change position.
Unpack the ribbon and unwrap it.
Take the shipping tape off the ribbon guide. Squeeze the ears on the
ribbon guide together and slip the ribbon guide up off the cartridge.
Top Door Removal

3860/80 Quick Reference Guide 17
If the ribbon is twisted, untwist it.
Untwist it as much as possible. There is a resident half-twist in the ribbon
that may end up between the ribbon guide and one end of the cartridge.
The ribbon will still work like this, but will not work if the half-twist is on
the ribbon guide itself. Turn the ribbon advance knob to tighten the
ribbon fabric.
Wiggle the ribbon guide onto the print head nozzle and snap it down flush.
The ribbon guide fits snugly between the exit rollers. Center the ribbon
guide over the print nozzle. Start with the front end of the ribbon guide
pointing slightly up and then rotate it down onto the print head nozzle. It
should snap down into place with moderate pressure.
Flush Fit-No Gap
Ribbon
Guide
Print Head
Nozzle
Printer Ribbon
Ribbon Guide
Ribbon Advance Knob

GEK-0105418
Find the ribbon drive spindle.
Look down into the printer toward the left side and notice a small shaft
sticking up vertically through a shiny plate.
Seat the cartridge on the ribbon drive spindle.
Place the cartridge down in the printer about where it should go and slide
it around until the ribbon drive spindle slips up into the hub of the
cartridge. Turn the ribbon advance knob clockwise and feel the ribbon
drive gears turning in the printer.
Snap the ribbon cartridge down on the supports.
There are feet on the bottom of the cartridge at the front corners. These
snap onto corresponding feet in the printer. Gently push the front corners
of the cartridge down at both ends until the snaps snap into place.
Turn the ribbon advance knob clockwise to make sure the ribbon is taut.
Hub RearofCartridge
Ribbon Drive Spindle
Ribbon
Advance
Knob
Support
Foot
Adjusting the Ribbon Advance Knob

3860/80 Quick Reference Guide 19
Loading Paper/Form
The procedure for loading sprocket-feed paper is the same for the rear,
front, or bottom paper paths.
The tractor that holds the left edge of the paper will be referred to as the
home-position tractor. The other tractor will be called the far tractor.
It is necessary to adjust the location of both tractors in order to:
•Fit the width of paper being used.
•Position the left side of paper to proper left margin print position.